Mistress by Amanda Quick

Believing the Earl of Masters to be dead, Iphigina Bright takes on a daring role pretending to be his mistress in order to uncover the identity of the person blackmailing her aunt.

But the Earl is not dead, and he's come to town to claim his mistress.

Four stars
This book came out June 1, 1994

Borrowed audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

The Ink Master's Silence by C.J. Archer

 In a previous book, a man, one India thought was a friend, published an article releasing the knowledge that magic is real. Now, the man's editor is dead. But was the person aiming for Oscar Barratt or was the editor the actual target. 

There is no shortage to the number of people who would prefer that magic would be shoved back into Pandora's Box. But it's too late and now India's become a focus for the people who find magic to be a source of amusement. 

Three stars

This book came out September 5, 2017

Glass and Steele #6

Follows The Convent's Secret
Followed by The Cheater's Game

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Snowed in with Mr. Heartbreaker by Pippa Grant

I'm not much for age gap nor for novellas but this one was fine. Fine-ish. I finished it. 

We've got a friend of a heroine from a previous books and the next-to-last member of Bro Code. 

Aspen and Cash were texting each other before she started living in the smaller house behind his house. Then they met in person and were instantly attracted but each have their own reasons for not wanting to make a move on the other. 

Now, it's Christmas and they're at a Christmas party. They are caught under the mistletoe but Aspen runs. Cash follows her to a small cabin but they are in the mountains, there's a storm, and a bear, and a tree. They have to spend some time alone but near enough to each other to share heat. 

There was the whole storyline of Aspen not liking Christmas but then it was resolved "off screen" and that annoyed me.

Two and a half stars

Copper Valley Bro Code #5

This book came out January 7th, 2021

Follows The Hot Mess and the Heartthrob

Followed by The Pretend Fiance Fiasco

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Reread as ebook from Kindle Unlimited January 2026

Mystique by Amanda Quick

One of Amanda Quick's rare foray's into historical fiction not of the Regency genre. Alice is a woman of learning in the 1600's. She's a little bitter because she wasn't able to save her father's estate for her crippled brother. However, she takes solace in her studies. When she buys an unusual green stone, which is subsequently stolen from her, she crosses paths with Hugh, the Relentless, who is also looking for the stone. Hugh decides that, though Alice is a little older and more outspoken than the usual bride, she is his choice. There is some wrangling, Alice is headstrong and doesn't obey orders, she wrecks Hugh's plans for revenge, but in the end, they fall in lurv.

Four stars

This book came out June 1, 1995

Audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

A Tail of Two Cities by Erik Henry Vick

Leery and Dru are about to team up with a team from another precinct. There is someone frying people and stealing gems. Once they figure out it is Dr. Agon who's a dragon, Leery ends up near death. It will be up to the rest of the team, and some of the side characters, to go up against this dragon and his lawyer daughter who is determined to keep him out of jail.

Three stars

This book came out October 2, 2020

Claw & Warder #7

Follows Gnome Schooled

Followed by 'Sure Locked

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Crazy as a Loon by Hailey Edwards

I've read any number of books about young covens and thought this one looked interesting. I'm not sure how well it landed. You've got a cranky old lady (who is still working against the monsters) whose husband is in a Billy the Bass object. We are not told why in this particular book. 

Out of her coven, Ellie is the only one who is still out in the field but she still hangs out with her old group. One of them, Betty, adopted a number of shapeshifters when she was younger. It is the youngest who comes to Ellie's house asking for help. His young nephew has been sent home from camp. There is something terrorizing the campers. So it's up to Ellie to help.

I wish the book had been longer because there were so many things hinted out but never carried through in the narrative.

Three stars

Yard Birds #1

This book came out July 4, 2023

Followed by Dead as a Dodo

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke

Kate Valentine made a name for herself with her detective series starring a no- nonsense bartender named Loretta. But then her boyfriend and book editor, Spencer, cheated on her with an heiresson the marketing team, Kennedy. Now the two are getting married and Kate has been invited. Normally, she wouldn't think of attending but she received a handwritten letter from Kennedy's aunt Rebecca, specifically inviting Kate to the island mansion. 

As she's getting onboard the yacht taking her to the island, she discovers that someone else she knows has been invited. Jake, the hot Australian (or as her friend Marla says, "Hotstralian"). However, when they get to the island, the wedding planner doesn't seem to have Jake's name. The two will have to share a room. And that's not the worst part of the weekend. It seems that someone may be trying to kill the bride. And Kate seems like the perfect suspect.

I was honestly annoyed by Kate for the first half of the book. If this hadn't been an ARC, the very manic-pixie-dream-detective of it all would have had me DNFing the book. I did end up making it through and generally enjoyed the book but you really do have to be in the mood for a lot of over the top situations. 

Three stars

This book come out January 21, 2025

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own